Adjustable wainscot



April 1964 G. J. POLLOCK 3,127,964

ADJUSTABLE WAINSCOT [filed Nov. 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

GORDON J. POLLOCK 36 BY owu m w w w ATTORNEYS April 7, 1964 G. .1. POLLOCK 3,

ADJUSTABLE WAINSCOT Filed Nov. 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS alflllllll United States Patent 3,127,964 ADJUSTABLE WAlNtSCOT Gordon J. Pollock, Parma Heights, Ohio, assignor to The E. F. Hansen-man Comp-an Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 18, 19%, gel. No. 70,179 19 Claims. (Cl. 18@--35) This invention relates generally, as indicated, to an adjustable wainscot and more particularly to a building interior construction designed to finish off the rough inside face of an exterior wall and particularly window embrasures, heating and air conditioning units, and the associated piping.

It is inherent in the erection of new buildings that the floor, ceiling and Window sash will all vary in level, position and plurnbness, since the various building trades are unable to hold these elements to exact or accurate dimensions. Accordingly, heretofore, interior wainscot could not be completely prefabricated and finished before installation and yet still be adaptable to all of these variables without considerable on-site cutting and finishing. Moreover, in the erection of new buildings, such interior wainscot could not be prefabricated from the architects drawings because of the above-mentioned dimensional variations and as a result, after a building was completed in a rough state, it was required that extensive measurements of the floor, ceiling and sash be taken to determine the sizes of the window embrasure units to be employed to finish off the interior. Thus, dimensions specified initially on the architects drawings required to be corrected to the installed variations, making some of the units a different size than others to fit these resulting variations. These different size units, of course, create a difiiou-lt sorting and distribution problem within the building and prevent adaptability of such units for any selected location as first intended by the architectural drawings. It was, of course, required that the fabricator of the interior wainscot wait for the floors, ceilings and sash to be installed before any measurements could be taken for the fabrication of the window embrasures. This created very tight production schedules to get the material fabricated, shipped and installed without delaying occupancy of the building.

It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide an interior wainscot which will be adaptable to dimensional variations in the building units to which it is to be connected.

It is yet another principal object to provide a window embrasures which will provide complete float or adjustability at all of the points of connection to accommodate all of the variations of the installed building units to which it connects, thus holding the uniform sizes as specified in the architectural drawings.

'It is a further important object to provide an interior wainscot which will eliminate the necessity of taking special measurements prior to fabrication and application.

It is yet another object to provide an interior Wainscot which can be fabricated, shipped and installed from the architectural drawings.

It is still another object to provide an interior wainscot of simplified construction, reducing the number of required fastenings, thereby speeding erection and reducing defacing of the building sash.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed draw- 3,127,964 Patented Apr. 7, 1964 ings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodients of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an inter-ior wainscot in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. *2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the horizontal plane of line -22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the horizontal plane of line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. :5 is a fragmentary ventical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section illustrating a connection between the face of the interior wainscot and an interior partition; and

'FIG. 8 is a horizontal section of a column enclosure in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the annexed drawing and more particularly to FIG. 1 which shows the inside face of the exterior building wall including window embrasures covered by a wainscot construction in accordance with the present invention, the window 1 is bounded on the sides by pier panels 2 and 3, a header 4 at the top, and stool 5 at the bottom. The stool includes a stool top 6 and stool cover 7, and generally encloses a heating or air conditioning unit and requisite piping. A jamb panel 8 extends between the ends of stool top 6 and the header 4 and this jamb furnishes the vertical ends of the sash opening and extends laterally from the face of the sash. The term sash as used herein refers, of course, to the entire window frame and not just to a movable part thereof. The jamb panel 8 is the main structural unit of the window embrasure and all of the other units of the wainscot are either supported by or connected to such jamb panel.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 5, the jamb panel is connected to the window sash by means of a floating trim generally shown at 10. The trim 10 is fastened directly to the window jamb by means of suitable fasteners at its extreme top and bottom. Such trim includes a heavy gauge reinforcing portion 12 bent to the S-shape shown in FIG. 2 and a thinner gauge portion 13 which may be welded to the portion 12 as at 14 and which is bent sharply back and yet spaced from itself as at 15 and then rebent as at 16 directly upon itself in a fiat fold and then secured between the reinforcing portion 12 and the window jamb as shown at 17. The rebent portion of the member 13 then becomes a sash trim 18 surrounding the window and provides an inwardly directed elongated slot 19 for reception of the edge of jamb panel 8. The reinforcing portion 12 as well as the rebent portions of the trim 10 are notched at vertically spaced intervals as shown at 20 (FIG. 5) and spring members 21 are secured to the trim as shown at 22 within such notches 20. Such spring members 21 are curved as shown and bear against the edge 23 of the jamb panel 8 inserted within the slot 19 formed by the rebent portion of the member 13. From the floor to ceiling, there may be as many as seven such notches and spring members in the trim member, all of which bear against the vertical inner edge of the jamb panel and it can readily be seen that the spring members in compression between the edge of the jamb panel and the trim hold the trim intermediate its ends tightly against the window jamb. Moreover, slight variations in the thickness and width of the jamb panel will readily be compensated for by such fioatingadjustment between the window jamb and the jamb panel. Heretofore, the trim in such constructions was fastened directly to the window jamb at twelve inch intervals for its entire height and this, of course, was a very slow and tedious operation causing considerable defacing of such jamb. The series of crescent-shape springs which bear against the vertical edge of the jamb panel thus tightly press the trim to the window sash and such provides a float or adjustment to accommodate the jamb panel to variations in plumb of the window sash.

The windows 1 are generally separated by a pilaster or structural column and the window embrasure unit which is used to span this space and finish off the pilaster or column is termed a pier panel. Since the width of the pilaster or column is subject to variation, the connection between the pier panel and the jamb panel must be such as to provide a floating adjustment.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer edge of the jamb panel 8 is bent in a bulb fiat fold as shown at and the end of such jamb panel terminates in an L-shape portion 31 extending transversely of the jamb panel. This transverse portion 31 of the end of the jamb panel is bent inwardly as shown at 32 and a channel member 33 nests therein, the legs of which are inwardly bent as shown at 34, such channel member being spot-welded to the jamb panel. Channel member 33 receives a stilt 35 (note FIG. 4), the bottom of which is secured in floor channel member 36. Channel members 37 and 33 of the sectional configuration shown more clearly in FIG. 4 may be employed properly to space the stilt 35 within the channel 36 to locate the same in the proper position for vertically supporting the inner portion of the jamb panel. A wingshape clip or guide 39 is secured to the web portion of the stilt 35 by means of nut and bolt assembly 46 to support the rebent lower edge portion 41 of pier panel 2. A front recessed trim plate 42 is employed to close the space between the bottom edge of the pier panel and the channel member 36. This trim plate may extend the entire length of the Wainscot. It can thus be seen that the stilt provides a rigid support for the jamb panel and also through clip 39, supports the pier panel 2.

The vertical edge of the pier panel 2 terminates in an inwardly bent portion 43 which is of the same width as the rebent portion 44 of the jamb panel. In order to provide for the proper horizontal float or adjustment between the vertical edge of the pier panel and the fixed position of the jamb panel there is provided a cap 45 having its end adjacent the pier panel rebent upon itself as shown at 46 and the end adjacent the jamb panel rebent as shown at 47 to latch upon the shoulder formed by bulb flat fold 30 of the jamb panel. This end of the cap 45 then terminates in an inwardly directed rebent leg 48, with such leg engaging spring engaging leg 49 of spring clip 50 fitted within aperture 51 in the transverse portion 31 of the jamb panel. In this manner the cap 45 is firmly held to the vertical outer edge of the jamb panel and in overlapping engagement with the pier panel, allowing horizontal adjustment of the edge of the pier panel between extremities indicated by the dotted line positions in FIG. 2. The clip 39 then permits horizontal floating adjustment of the pier panel while yet firmly vertically supporting the same. A similar construction as that shown in FIG. 4 may be employed vertically to space and support the pier panel with the respect to the jamb panel as well as rigidly to support the jamb panel at the top of the illustrated wainscot construction. The trim cap 45 is applied after the pier panel has been properly connected to the jamb panel through the clips 39 and floated horizontally until the space between it and the jamb panel has been equalized at both edges of the pilaster or column thus to be concealed behind the trim caps when they are installed. In the aforedescribed manner, the two jamb panels together with the pier panel will enclose the pilaster or column dividing the two window sashes with the complete adjustment to all of the building variations.

The stool top 6 spans the window opening from jamb panel to jamb panel and is connected to and supported by the jamb panels. Referring to FIG. 5, it will be seen that the stool top 6 is connected to the window sash with trim member 52. This trim member 52 includes a heavy gauge reinforcing portion 53 and a lighter gauge top portion 54 both of which are securely fastened to the window sash by screws 55. The stool top 6 then fits between the members 53 and 54 and the member 54 acts as a sash trim. This member 52 is fastened securely to the window sash rather than by a spring or floating arrangement because the stool top 6 must be able to support the weight of a window washer and for this reason, the trim member must provide a secure sup port for the stool top. Since the building trades cannot install the bottom of the sash at an accurate predetermined height above the floor and the sash cannot be set to an accurate plumbness, an adjustable connection must then be provided at the front edge of the stool top to receive the stool front panel 7.

Design necessities require that the bottom edge of the stool front panel 7 be leveled with respect to adjoining partitions to receive and retain the base member shown in FIG. 5. This then requires that any variation due to the leveling and the height of the sash be taken up by an adjustable connection at the top or the connection between the front panel 7 and the top panel 6. A horizontal rail 69 is provided having welded thereto end brackets 61 which are fastened directly to the jamb panels by means of screws 62. The rail has a top U-shape portion 63 and a bottom portion 64 rebent as shown at 65. A special clip 66 may be fastened to such rebent portion which clip has a latching tongue 67 holding rebent portion 63 of the trim member 42 in the proper position with respect thereto. This trim member closes the space between the stool front panel 7 and the base channel 36 fastened directly to the floor.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, a stool front post assembly 70 may be provided in the center of the stool 70 thus dividing the front panel into two identical portions. This center pier may be made up of a facing channel member 71 secured to a channel member or stilt 72 which is supported within the base channel 36 in a manner similar to the stilt 35.

Stools for spans exceeding sixty inches usually require a center vertical post either exposed or concealed to support the stool top. Where partitions join the intermediate mullions, it is necessary to use the exposed post to receive the partition and divide the stool front panel so that it can be removed on either side of the intersecting partition. Where the span exceeds sixty inches and the architect wants the stool fronts to span from pier to pier, a concealed post may be employed to support the stool top.

The front stool panel 7 as seen in FIG. 5 includes a facing plate 75 with a channel backing member 76 secured thereto. At the bottom of the facing plate '75, an L-shaped member 78 is provided which terminates in an inwardly and downwardly extending portion 79, this member seating the front panel 7 on the top of rail 60. The sides of the front panel 7 may be inturned as shown at Stl and it can readily be seen that the front panel assemblies constitute rigid panels firmly supported on the rail 60. Such panels as well as top plate 6 may be lowered or otherwise perforated to conduct heated or cooled air as the case may be.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stool top plate 6 is bent downwardly as shown at 81 to overlie the top edge 82 of the front panel 7. In order to provide an interior support for the front stool panels 7, as well as to rigidify the top 6, there is provided a member 83 having a horizontal top portion 84 welded to the underside of the stool top panel 6. The lower portion of the member 83 terminates in a channel portion 85 with the back of the web thereof abutting against the reinforcing channel member 76 on the stool front panel 7. Thus the front panel stool is free to move vertically upwardly between the downturned front portion 81 of the top 6 and the-web of the channel portion 85'of the member 83.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it will be seen that an elongated angle member 86 may be fastened to the jamb panel by means of screws 87 and the stool top 6 may be welded to the top shelf of such angle member. In this manner, the stool top is secured directly to the jamb panel. A stiffener 88 may also be secured by screws 89 directly to the jamb panel, with the top portion of the stiffener 88 being bent as shown at 90 to accommodate the angle member 86 whereby the screws 87 may pass therethrough. It can now be seen that there is provided a very strong and rigid joint between the stool top 6 and the jamb member 8.

It will, of course, be understood that the angle bracket 86 as well as the stiffener 88 will be fastened to the jamb panel prior to the insertion of the trim cap 45. Accordingly, the stool top panel 6 provides a recess or pocket into which the top edge of the stool front panel can be inserted to conceal the edge of this front panel. The dimensions of this recess provide for the maximum variations that will be encountered for any given condition.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated an interior partition panel fastened directly to a pier panel 2 and such interconnection may include a channel member 91 which may be clamped at the top and bottom to the pier panel. An interior partition panel vertical 92 forms the end of a partition wall 93 and a spring clip 94 may be provided to hold in latching engagement with the panel vertical 92 caps 95 and 96 to close the space between the partition wall and the channel 91. For a more detailed disclosure of a partition assembly as that shown, reference may be had to the copending application of John A. Bohnsack, Serial No. 856,979, filed December 3, 1959, entitled Partition Construction and Assembly.

Referring now to FIG. 8, it will be seen that the floating pier panel construction used to enclose the pilaster between the windows may also be used to enclose an interior column 100. The plate 101 corresponds to the pier panel 2 and terminates in vertically rebent edges 102 and 103. The panel 104 corresponds to the jamb panel and has the vertical edge rebent in a bulb flat fold as shown at 105 and terminates in transverse L-shape portion 106. Trim cap 107 identical in form to the cap 45 may then be employed with proper spring clips 50 to close the space between the edge 105 and the panel 101. In this manner, the horizontal position of the panel 101 may be widely varied since the dimensions of the interior column cannot be held to exact tolerances by the building trades. The illustrated construction will readily fit the column desired regardless of variations in the column width.

It will now be seen that there has been provided a Wainscot construction which will eliminate the necessity for costly and time consuming job site measurements and allow for uniformity in size of all like units for a more universal application to the building finish. Moreover, a faster completion of the interior finish is obtained to allow much earlier building occupancy. In addition, the stools and pier panels can quickly be removed for access to interior piping, etc.

Other modes of applying the principles of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a building column and a wainscot construction therefor, said Wainscot construction comprising a first panel having a bulb flat fold rebent vertical edge portion terminating in a transversely extending flange portion, and a second panel supported against said flange portion and adjustable transversely of said first panel, and

6 a snap-on cap secured to said bulb flat fold rebent portion of said first panel and overlapping said second panel whereby floating adjustment of said second panel with respect to said first panel is obtained.

2. Thecombination set forth in claim 1 including clip means secured to said first panel and holding said cap in overlapping engagement with said second panel.

3. In combination, a building exterior Wall having window sashes therein and pilasters therebetween, a wainscot for covering the interior of said wall, said Wainscot including a jamb panel plate covering the side of a pilaster adjacent a Window sash, means vertically for supporting said jamb panel, trim means interposed between the vertical edge of said jamb panel and said window sash enclosing such vertical edge, said trim means comprising a series of vertically spaced crescent-shape spring members bearing against the vertical edge of said jamb panel, said vertical edge of said jamb panel fitting within a slot in said trim member, and said slot having cut-out portions corresponding to and accommodating said spring members.

4. An enclosure for a pilaster and the like comprising a vertically supported first panel on one side thereof having a bulb flat fold on one vertical edge thereof and an inwardly directed vertically extending flange closely spaced therefrom, a second panel on an adjacent side of such pilaster supported for horizontal adjustment in the space between the edge of said first panel and said inwardly directed flange, and cap means secured to said first panel and overlapping said second panel to cover the varying width gap therebetween.

5. An enclosure for a pilaster and the like comprising a first panel rigidly supported on one side thereof, and a second panel horizontally adjustably supported on an adjacent side thereof, cap means secured to said first panel and overlapping said second panel to cover the varying width gap therebetween, and clip means releasably secured to said first panel engaging said cap means resiliently maintaining the face of the same in overlapping engagement with the face of said second panel.

6. In combination with a building exterior wall having window sashes therein and pilasters therebetween, a Wainscot for covering the interior of said wall, said Wainscot including a stool top secured to the bottom edge of a window sash, said stool top having a downwardly projecting inner edge, means forming a downwardly opening pocket along said inner edge, a stool front panel floatingly mounted within said downwardly opening front pocket, the downwardly projecting inner edge of said stool top overlapping the face of said stool front panel, jamb panels secured to the horizontal edges of said stool top, rail means secured to said jamb panels extending beneath said stool top, and means supporting said stool front panel on said rail means.

7. In combination with a building exterior wall having window sashes therein and pilasters therebetween; a wainscot for covering the interior of said wall, said Wainscot including a jamb panel covering the side of a pilaster adjacent a window sash, means vertically supporting said jamb panel, a trim member interposed between the vertical edge of said jamb panel and said window sash held firmly against said window sash by resilient pressure means, a pier panel arranged to cover the face of said pilaster, means mounting said pier panel for adjustable horizontal movement, a trim cap snapped to the outer vertical edge of said jamb panel and overlapping the face of said pier panel thereby to enable floating adjustment of said pier panel with respect to the edge of said jamb panel, stilt means supporting said jamb panel, and clip means on said stilt means for vertically supporting said pier panel for adjustable horizontal movement.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 including a stool top secured to the bottom edge of said window sash, said stool top having a downwardly projecting inner edge,

means forming a downwardly opening pocket along said inner edge, and a stool front panel floatingly mounted within said downwardly opening pocket.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein the edge of said stool top is secured directly to said jamb panel.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 including a floor channel in which said stilt means is positioned thereby supporting said pier panel and said jarnb panel, and a rail secured to said jamb panel extending beneath said stool top supporting said front stool panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Schacht Jan. 5, 1960 

1. IN COMBINATION, A BUILDING COLUMN AND A WAINSCOT CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR, SAID WAINSCOT CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A FIRST PANEL HAVING A BULB FLAT FOLD REBENT VERTICAL EDGE PORTION TERMINATING IN A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING FLANGE PORTION, AND A SECOND PANEL SUPPORTED AGAINST SAID FLANGE PORTION AND ADJUSTABLE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FIRST PANEL, AND A SNAP-ON CAP SECURED TO SAID BULB FLAT FOLD REBENT PORTION OF SAID FIRST PANEL AND OVERLAPPING SAID SECOND PANEL WHEREBY FLOATING ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SECOND PANEL WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST PANEL IS OBTAINED. 